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Shared Nov 30, 2012 comment

Reader Testimony: I got a new job thanks to a tip from your blog!

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Reader Testimony: I got a new job thanks to a tip from your blog!

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I loved this testimony from Amanda and thought it might bless some of you, too!

I just wanted to send you a big THANK YOU for the series you did on 31 Ways to Earn Extra Cash Before Christmas.

I’m a single Mom of two kids (ages 9 and 5) and have been a home daycare operator for the last 8 years. Unfortunately, a few of those years were met with uncertainty as I had to deal with parents who just didn’t respect me as a business, and didn’t want to pay me on time, or at all.

Being the sole income earner for my home, late or no payments from my business meant I couldn’t provide properly and consistently for my children. I finally had enough… and after dealing with a parent who completely took advantage of me, I called it quits.

With no income, I started to panic, not sure of what I was going to do next. However, the very next day, I received your email newsletter with the article on becoming a a Virtual Call Center Agent.

I was intrigued at first, but also hesitant, because everything I had tried online in the past ended up being a scam or nothing came of it. I looked up the company that was mentioned in the newsletter, Alpine Access, and thought I’d give it a try. I filled out all of the required forms and questions on the site, submitted my resume, and hoped (prayed) for the best.

Less than a week later (I even think it was just a few days), I was contacted for an interview. Long story short, I was hired by Alpine as a Virtual Customer Care Agent and have already begun my paid training!

I’m so excited, and beyond happy. This is exactly what my family and I needed. I can continue to be at home with my children and homeschool them, and provide the income needed for us. I believe this was all God’s perfect timing for us, but I just had to send you a thank you, because I don’t know where I would be right now if I hadn’t opened that newsletter and thought to give something new a try.

THANK YOU!!!!! -Amanda

Money Saving Mom
Shared Nov 29, 2012 comment

I Paid Cash: A Viola

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I Paid Cash: A Viola

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

We paid cash!A testimony from Krysten

During my studies at college, I was required to take a strings class and learn a new instrument. My instrument of choice was the viola, and I loved it! I took the class for three semesters, and also played in a volunteer orchestra when my schedule allowed.

While in college, I met my future husband, and after we graduated, we got married, got jobs, had a couple of kids, and got busy with life. I occasionally wished that I could play the viola again, but knew that we didn’t have the money for an expensive instrument.

Six years passed in which I never touched a viola.

Last Christmas however, I received some money from a family member… and since we always use any Christmas or birthday money that we receive as “splurge” money, I decided to start saving for a viola!

My Christmas money wasn’t nearly enough, but it was a start. I checked prices and found some new low-quality beginner violas in the $400 range, so I figured that I could buy a nice used viola for about that amount.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t just scrape the extra money out of the corners of our budget. We just had another baby, so I wasn’t working at all for two months, and would only be working about half of my normal amount for the next three months, so we had already cut our budget as much as possible. This meant that I had to find an extra source of income.

I had been inspired about Crystal’s posts on living simply and decluttering your home, so I decided to find everything in our home that we did not need or use, and ended up with a hefty pile of boxes.

Next, I began my mission to sell as much of my stuff as possible. I sold some items on Craigslist and joined a friend at her garage sale, but I still had less than half of the money I needed. My household purge continued, and a few weeks later, I held my own garage sale. The money from this sale put my total at $371.75. It was time to find my viola!

The only problem was, there were no used violas for sale! I had already been watching Craigslist for two months, and hadn’t seen a single viola listed. I checked around online, but wasn’t impressed by the cheap quality of the new instruments that my budget would allow. I decided to keep waiting.

Four weeks after my garage sale, I found a beautiful viola for sale that had been owned by musicians who had taken excellent care of it. There was a minor problem with the bow, and because of that, they were only asking $175 ($200 less than my budget!)

So not only did I pay cash for my beautiful viola, but I also have almost $200 to use for lessons – as soon as I find a teacher!

Krysten is a piano teacher in central IL. She has been married for five years and has two children, ages 3 and 6 months. She loves making music, good food, and fun family memories.

Have you saved up and paid cash for something — large or small? Submit your story for possible publication here.

Money Saving Mom
Shared Nov 29, 2012 comment

31 Days of Giving on a Budget: Turn a Ladies’ Night Out into an Opportunity to Give Back

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31 Days of Giving on a Budget: Turn a Ladies’ Night Out into an Opportunity to Give Back

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Welcome to Decembers series on 31 Days of Giving on a Budget. In this series, I’ll be sharing inspiring stories from my readers and posts with practical ways to give — even on a limited income.

If you have a Giving on a Budget story to share of a way you or your family has given to others this year or this holiday season, please email me your story and a picture to go along with it, if possible. I’d love to hear it and possibly share it during this series!

The following is a testimony from Michelle of  The Willing Cook

I have a dear friend who has 6 children (ages 3-13) and 2 foster children (10 months and age 2). Four of the children are at home with her all day while her husband is a teacher at our Classical Christian School. They are very tight on money, time, and energy. Their days are tough, but they see their lives as a ministry to all their children.

Since I am generally seen as the social coordinator of our little group of friends, I try to plan Ladies’ Nights Out once a month. And as I was thinking through what we should do for our upcoming Ladies’ Night, the possibility of going out to dinner or doing anything that cost money was not sitting well with me. (Most of us are frugal because we have to be or because we choose to be.) It has also been weighing on me how we should come together to serve one another in times of need. Why don’t we do this more often?

So, we organized our Ladies Night to be a Freezer Meal Cooking Night and then we gave all the meals we made to our dear friend in need.This was a complete surprise for her and she was overwhelmed with thankfulness!

Oh, I cannot tell you how much of a blessing last night was. We all came together to fellowship with one another and minister to a sister in need.

Here’s it worked:

I came up with the meals to fix using mainly recipes from MoneySavingMom.com. I did the grocery shopping the day before and was able to get everything for about $35 total (we used some ingredients I already had on hand).

The day before we got together, I did some of the cooking — like making the burrito meat and diced chicken.

I set up stations in my kitchen with the recipes printed out and put everyone to work, even the recipient! It took about 1.5 hours to get it all done, but it fun work!

The meals we made & the quantities:

And of course we couldn’t have a proper Ladies’ Night without a treat for ourselves. We completely indulged ourselves in Brigette’s Upside Down Praline Apple Pie. Amazing!

Everyone left with a full tummy of delicious pie and many laughs, as well as a full heart able to minister to a friend! And, one last thing, everyone wanted the recipes and agreed we should have more Freezer Cooking Ladies’ Nights Out.

Thank you, Crystal, for your part in such a great night!

Michelle is blessed to stay home with her three children (ages 10, 7, and 4), while her husband works to provide. When she’s not experimenting with allergy-friendly meals, she’s blogging about it at The Willing Cook. Through the Willing Cook, her hope is that you gain peace of mind in your kitchen (and your pocket book) and are able to serve those you love who suffer with food allergies.

Money Saving Mom
Shared Nov 29, 2012 comment

Introducing the Amazon Search Alert: Create a Wishlist, Receive Price Alerts, + More!

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Introducing the Amazon Search Alert: Create a Wishlist, Receive Price Alerts, + More!

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

With help from Mandi from Jungle Deals & Steals, we’ve now added a snazzy new Amazon Search Alert feature to MoneySavingMom.com!

The Search Alert tool allows you to not only search for your favorite products in an easy-to-use interface, but it also lets you create a wishlist of your favorite items and notifies you when those hit your buy now price!

You can find it in our dropdown menu under Deals & Steals. Just click on the Amazon.com Search Alerts link as shown above.
Jungle Deals & Steals Search Alert

One you’re on the Search Alerts page, simply type in a search term in the box below, something like “Bob’s Red Mill” or “Melissa Doug”.

Jungle Deals & Steals Search Alert

Then, when you find the product you want to add to your wishlist, click on Set Alert. Type in your email address and your alert price and click Save.

Jungle Deals & Steals Search Alert

You’ll receive an email when the Amazon.com price drops below your alert price. Or see all of your wishlist items by clicking the My Alerts tab.

Jungle Deals & Steals Search Alert

That’s it! You’re all set up and good to go!

Money Saving Mom
Shared Nov 29, 2012 comment

Reader Tip: How I saved over $200 on my phone

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Reader Tip: How I saved over $200 on my phone

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Jessica emailed in the following tip:

I recently saved myself $220 on a new phone after doing a bit of research.

I had dropped my cell phone in the sink — and while the SIM card (which contains all of my phone numbers etc.) still worked fine, the touchscreen no longer worked.

When I went to the cell phone store, I found that they did not have my older model available and that it would cost $270 to purchase a new phone without getting involved in renewing my contract.

Instead, I went online and found my phone for $50! Because it was made by my cell phone company and was the same model, all I needed to do was put my old SIM card into the new phone and voila! Brand new replacement phone, same phone number, all my information, for $50 instead of $270.

If you were to buy a phone not made by your cell phone company you may need to take it to be “unlocked” at a local store (small fee for doing so) or if your SIM card was damaged you may need to purchase a replacement. However, even this would be much cheaper than paying the price for a brand new phone at your local store! -Jessica

photo credit

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Shared Nov 29, 2012 comment

A Handmade Christmas: Box of Teacher Goodies

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A Handmade Christmas: Box of Teacher Goodies

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Eighteen25 shows you how to make a simple Box of Teacher Goodies — perfect for a Christmas gift for your child’s teacher or a friend who is a teacher.

Have you blogged about a Handmade Christmas idea? Submit the link through this form here and we’ll consider sharing it as part of this series during the next 4 weeks!

Money Saving Mom
Shared Nov 29, 2012 comment

4 Weeks to a More Organized Home {Simplified}: Day 14

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4 Weeks to a More Organized Home {Simplified}: Day 14

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Welcome back to the 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home {Simplified} series!

From November 5 to December 7 (skipping the week of Thanksgiving), every weekday morning at 9 a.m. EST, I’ll be posting the day’s assignment and then every evening at 7 p.m. EST, I’ll be posting my progress and pictures, along with a link-up for you to share your progress and pictures, too.

Day 14 Assignment

::Get dressed in something that makes you feel great {there’s something about dressing in clothes that make you feel great that just gives you more energy and zest for life! Get your free copy of SarahMae’s ebook, Frumps to Pumps, if you need more motivation in this.}

::Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea, refer to your list of weekly goals, and make a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today.

::Set the timer for 15 minutes and clean the mirrors and glass doors in your house.

::Clean out your utensil drawer(s) (those with serving spoons, ladles, spatulas, etc.) in the kitchen and your junk drawer(s). Take everything out, throw out the trash, get rid of extra clutter, wipe out the drawers, and re-organize the contents as you put them back in.

Take pictures of your accomplishments and blog about them, if you’d like. And then come back here at 7 p.m. EST to share your progress posts or tell us about your accomplishments in a comment.

Money Saving Mom
Shared Nov 29, 2012 comment

Real Food Recipes… for $1 per plate

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Real Food Recipes… for $1 per plate

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

If you’ve always thought eating healthfully had to be expensive, then you’ll want to check out the new Real Food Dollar Menu series from Heavenly Homemakers She’s preparing several recipes (with real food) that only cost around $1 per plate!

Money Saving Mom
Shared Nov 28, 2012 comment

Snowman Cookies Before Breakfast? Yes, Please!

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Snowman Cookies Before Breakfast? Yes, Please!

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Silas woke up this morning and the first thing he wanted to do was make Snowman Cookies. I’m not exactly sure where he got the idea from… but he was really sold on it.

It was a busy day today, my to-do list was long in preparation for my trip tomorrow, and making Snowman Cookies — especially so early in the morning — wasn’t really on the agenda.

But I’m working on learning to say “yes” to the mess, so I agreed that we should make them. And we had a blast making them together.

Watching my little Silas roll the dough, intently cut the snowman, and carefully put them on the baking sheet warmed my heart on this chilly November morning.

These are the moments that matter most. These spur-of-the-moment times when I say “yes” to something that might seem a bit messy and inconvenient.

These are the memories I’ll treasure long after there are no more little hands eager to help me in the kitchen.

I may not have gotten everything done on my to-do list today, but making Snowman Cookies on a whim with my 3-year-old was a whole lot more important than most of those things anyway.

P.S. Sadly, I completely forgot to take pictures this morning while we were making the cookies… and every single last Snowman was eaten by tonight. But I thought you’d enjoy these pictures of the kiddos having a little afternoon tea party today. If you can’t tell, they have quite a bit of fun together. 🙂

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Money Saving Mom
Shared Nov 28, 2012 comment

4 Weeks to a More Organized Home {Simplified}: Day 13 Update

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4 Weeks to a More Organized Home {Simplified}: Day 13 Update

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

If you missed this morning’s assignment, find it here.

Today was a calmer day after two very busy days… and that was so nice!

I was excited to discover that the space above my cupboards was nowhere near as dirty and dusty this time around as it was in April.

But the top of my refrigerator needed some desperate organization!

Ah! White space! I love it! 🙂

How did you do on Day 13? I’d love to have you share your progress and success with us so we can be inspired. Either post a link to your blog post below or leave a comment with your update.

Money Saving Mom
Shared Nov 28, 2012 comment

Ask The Readers: What is a realistic Christmas budget?

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Ask The Readers: What is a realistic Christmas budget?

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Today’s question is from Tara:

I am trying to scale back my Christmas budget this year as money is a little tight. I’m wondering, what would you consider a “realistic budget” for 10 immediate family members, including my two boys, ages 5 and 2? -Tara

Do you have a question you’d like to ask Money Saving Mom® readers? Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.

Money Saving Mom
Shared Nov 28, 2012 comment

4 Weeks to a More Organized Home {Simplified}: Day 13

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4 Weeks to a More Organized Home {Simplified}: Day 13

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Welcome back to the 4 Weeks to a More Organized Home {Simplified} series!

From November 5 to December 7 (skipping the week of Thanksgiving), every weekday morning at 9 a.m. EST, I’ll be posting the day’s assignment and then every evening at 7 p.m. EST, I’ll be posting my progress and pictures, along with a link-up for you to share your progress and pictures, too.

Day 13 Assignment

::Get dressed in something that makes you feel great {there’s something about dressing in clothes that make you feel great that just gives you more energy and zest for life! Get your free copy of SarahMae’s ebook, Frumps to Pumps, if you need more motivation in this.}

::Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea, refer to your list of weekly goals, and make a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today.

::Set the timer for 15 minutes and do a quick-clean of your bathroom. Need specific directions? Read this article on How to Clean Your Bathroom in 15 Minutes.

::Clean the top of your kitchen cupboards (if there is space between them and the ceiling) and the top of your refrigerator. If you have clutter on the top of your refrigerator, go through it and see if you can get rid of it or find a new home for it. Wipe down the outside of your kitchen cupboard doors.

Take pictures of your accomplishments and blog about them, if you’d like. And then come back here at 7 p.m. EST to share your progress posts or tell us about your accomplishments in a comment.